The Seam wins Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund grand prize

The Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund, launched in December 2022 by Ebay UK and the British Fashion Council, has named on-demand clothing repairs and alterations service The Seam as the grand prize winner.

In December, the fund awarded six businesses with circular fashion solutions, including social fashion rental app By Rotation and the Circular Textiles Foundation, a slice of the 100,000-pound grant, as well as mentoring from industry leaders.

The Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund aims to help small businesses that are providing sustainable fashion solutions grow by bringing new technology and services to the market that can help people think and shop differently.

As grand prize winners, The Seam will receive an additional 10,000 pounds in funding to help accelerate its growth. The on-demand tailoring service’s founder and chief executive Layla Sargent said she will use the additional funding to develop The Seam’s data and insight capabilities to drive behavioural change within the industry.

Sargent explained in a statement: “By developing our data, we will focus on informing consumers of their carbon savings and the increase to resale value when they repair a pre-loved garment. We will also use insights to inform brands about the lifecycle of their products to encourage greater circularity.”

Lucy Peacock, head of pre-loved at Ebay UK, added: “The Seam are true pioneers of circular fashion, and a real source of inspiration for the industry. It’s fantastic to support them as they grow, and we will be there every step of the way as they develop their data capabilities to influence consumer behaviour and support brands to extend the lifecycle of their products.”